science wire

African Horse Sickness: mapping how a deadly disease might spread in the UK
A disease lethal to horses, until now confined to hot countries, could arrive in the UK. New research creates a picture of its possible spread and pinpoints the area that would be worse hit.  Our work demonstrates that there is no place for complacency about the ability of the virus to spread here.

BSMS becomes a Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research
BSMS becomes a Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research The Brighton and Sussex Medical School ( BSMS ) has become a prestigious Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research – one of only five in the UK.

Brain research study celebrates milestone at LFC
Staff and patients from a brain infections research project, led by the Institute of Infection and Global Health , were invited to Liverpool Football Club's Melwood training ground to watch the team train and celebrate the project recruiting its 1,000th participant.

How the EU could help more children survive cancer
A leading expert in childhood cancer at The University of Nottingham is spearheading a Europe-wide lobby of the European Parliament to try to make it easier for doctors to develop and test new treatments on children and young people with rare cancers.

GPS, camera traps and dung expose the secret life of endangered elephants
“We can only manage what we measure” — that is the key to a unique research project which is working towards scientifically proven, evidence-based, conservation of the Malaysian elephant.

Air travel during pregnancy poses no significant risk, say experts
There is no significant risk directly associated with air travel during pregnancy, even at advanced gestation, says report by the University of Liverpool.

Exploring the extraordinary science of bones
Super scientists of the future have been delving into the intriguing world of medical biology at an extraordinary workshop hosted by the University of Sheffield.

Bee and wild flower biodiversity loss slows
Declines in the biodiversity of pollinating insects and wild plants have slowed in recent years, according to a new study. Researchers led by the University of Leeds and the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in the Netherlands found evidence of dramatic reductions in the diversity of species in Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands between the 1950s and 1980s. But the picture brightened markedly after 1990, with a slowdown in local and national biodiversity losses among bees, hoverflies and wild plants.

Small cancer risk following CT scans in childhood confirmed
New research has found a small increase in cancer risk following exposure to CT scans in children and young people. The study used anonymised medical records for 11 million young Australians, including 680,000 who were exposed to CT scans between 1985 and 2005. The Australian researchers, with colleagues at Oxford University and the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France, found that for every 1,400 CT scans before the age of 20 there was one extra case of cancer over the following 10 years.

Gold for Nottingham at Chelsea
Nottingham academics have won a Gold Medal at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Neuroscience meets robotics in stroke rehab
Etienne Burdet (Bioengineering) integrates neuroscience and robotics to develop assistive devices, particularly for people who have suffered a stroke.

Shedding light on forests
By using advanced imaging technology, scientists are able to map on an unprecedentedly large scale - and in remarkably accurate detail - what is happening to these precious resources worldwide. 

International Day for Biological Diversity: projects at Imperial
The 2013 UN International Day of Biological Diversity explores the theme of water and biodiversity. This year, the International Day of Biological Diversity coincides with the UN's International Year of Water Cooperation , so let's take a look through some of the research being undertaken across the College around these important themes.

Podcast: heights and sounds from the Imperial Festival

New £23m research unit will use advances in genetics to help reduce risk of disease
A new £23million research unit is announced today, that will exploit the latest advances in genetics to improve understanding of how changes to lifestyle or environment, as well as pharmacological interventions, can reduce the risk of disease.

Experts advocate for stronger measures to protect trees and other plants from pests and pathogens
Ash dieback, caused by the Chalara fungus, prompts re-evaluation of current protocols to protect UK trees and other plants; taskforce recommends threats to plant health be taken as seriously as animal disease The UK needs to be better prepared for threats to plant health.

Professor Steve Williams elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Professor Williams is the founding Director of the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, a collaboration between King's and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM).

Researchers to compete in finals of national microbiology competition
Sussex researchers to compete in finals of national microbiology competition Two researchers from the University of Sussex have made it through to the finals of a national microbiology competition.

Grant Museum wins Cultural Pros Award at Museums + Heritage Awards

Tiger, tiger, not burning so bright
India's tigers are facing extinction owing to a collapse in the variety of their mating partners, according to new research carried out by scientists at Cardiff University. India is a refuge for approximately 60% of the world's wild tigers, yet even here their numbers remain low and genetic diversity is declining rapidly making them increasingly vulnerable to extinction.

The artificial pancreas that keeps tabs on sugar
Development of a sophisticated artificial pancreas holds potential to transform the lives of patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Rhino ’dung’ research leads to baby boom at Chester Zoo
Researcher at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester have monitored the hormone levels of female rhinos at Chester Zoo to discover the best time to introduce them to a potential partner.

‘Dung science’ leads to rhino baby boom at Chester Zoo
09 May 2013 Ground breaking science by Chester Zoo, in partnership with The University of Manchester, has helped to achieve a rhino baby boom.

Prestigious appointments for two Manchester Professors
09 May 2013 The contribution of two University of Manchester professors to the advancement of medical science has been recognised with their election to the prestigious Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor Garth Cooper is a professor in Discovery and Experimental Medicine as well as the Director for the Centre for Advanced Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics.

Mobile health technologies to rapidly test and track infectious diseases
Early-warning sensor systems that can test and track serious infectious diseases - such as major flu epidemics, MRSA and HIV - using mobile phones and the internet are being developed by a major new Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) led by UCL.

New dawn in disease research and treatment with launch of in silico medicine in Sheffield
High performance computer power is being harnessed to revolutionise treatments for a wide range of diseases through ground-breaking virtual models in a joint project by the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Academy of Medical Sciences honours seven Oxford researchers
Seven medical researchers at Oxford University have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Professors Barbara Casadei, Michael English, Russell Foster, Keith Hawton, Paul Klenerman, Xin Lu and Lionel Tarassenko are among the 44 new Fellows announced today by the Academy. The honour recognises outstanding contributions to the advancement of medical science, innovative application of scientific knowledge, or conspicuous service to healthcare.

Sussex co-organises unique workshop in China on genetics and ethnicity
Sussex co-organises unique workshop in China on genetics and ethnicity An international workshop at the weekend on genetics and race was the first of its kind to be held in China.

Biologist elected to Academy of Medical Sciences
Sussex biologist elected to Academy of Medical Sciences Professor Guy Richardson, an expert in many aspects of hearing research, has been recognised for excellence in medical science by being elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences.

The world of Francis Willughby: the man who compiled the first ornithology
In his short life Francis Willughby immersed himself in the study of natural history yet he has been overshadowed by more famous peers.

H7N9 bird flu questions answered
What is known about the new strain of influenza emerging in China, and how concerned should we be? One hundred and twenty-six people are known to have been infected since the virus emerged a month ago.

University Institutes secure €3.4million to train future investigators
02 May 2013 The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) and Photon Science Institute (PSI) have secured a Marie Curie training network grant worth €3.4 million to train the future generation of investigators.

UCL University Challenge team fall at the final hurdle
UCL's University Challenge team were narrowly beaten by the University of Manchester in the final of the popular BBC2 quiz show this week.

'Dirty dozen' invasive species threaten UK
Effective management of invasive species depends on rapid detection and control Belinda Gallardo Parts of the UK are at greater risk of invasion by non-native aquatic species than previously thought, according to new research. The first to include human factors in models used to predict where invasive species will arrive and spread, the study shows the Thames, Anglian and Humber river basins are most vulnerable.

Professor’s research to address plight of the bumblebee
Professor's research to address plight of the bumblebee The plight of the bumblebee is the guiding passion behind research projects at the University of Sussex led by newly-appointed biologist and conservationist Professor Dave Goulson.

Glasgow joins Liverpool in new Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research
The Wellcome Trust Tropical Centre , a joint initiative between the University of Liverpool and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine , has been awarded funding to become the Wellcome Trust-Liverpool-Glasgow Centre for Global Health Research.

Glasgow joins Liverpool in a new Wellcome Trust Centre for Global Health Research
The Wellcome Trust Tropical Centre, a longstanding joint initiative of the University of Liverpool (UoL) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), is pleased to announce that it has been award

New gene therapy could treat devastating heart failure
Researchers at Imperial College London have begun the first UK clinical trials of a gene therapy for heart failure.

Sussex molecular biologist wins Silvanus Thompson Medal

Xenon gas successfully delivered to baby in an ambulance
The first baby in the world to receive xenon gas and cooling therapy while being transferred from one hospital to another, in a bid to prevent brain injury following a lack of oxygen at birth, is now at home after being discharged from St Michael's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Bristol. Olivia Burke was born at the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust on Thursday 4 April 2013, soon after her mother Natalie gave birth to her twin brother, Owen.

On the fly: African summer school on insect neuroscience
A programme created by Cambridge researchers is teaching African scientists how insects can be powerful yet inexpensive model systems in neuroscientific research.

On the fly: summer school in Africa teaches insect neuroscience
A programme created by Cambridge researchers is teaching African scientists how insects can be powerful yet inexpensive model systems in neuroscientific research.

Imperial staff at the forefront of big data
Imperial has long pioneered the use of infomation technology in university research and the recent rise of 'big data' is the latest example of this The rise of ‘big science' endeavours, su

The discovery of the structure of DNA
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the famous edition of Nature , which revealed the secrets of DNA and detailed the physical and chemical basis of how characteristics are passed down through the generations.

King’s joins London Lung Cancer Alliance
Leading research institutions and hospitals across London, including King's, will unite to transform the care of lung cancer with plans to invite patients over a population of six million into a pioneering new programme of clinical trials.

Imaging and modelling the brain to help earlier dementia diagnosis
A major European project, led by the University of Sheffield, will develop sophisticated image-based biophysical models of the human brain to enable early diagnosis of dementia and help doctors predict the progression of the disease. The model will be the first to combine a wide range of physiological data from medical imaging - such as blood flow, brain tissue properties and cellular activity - with psychological measures such as memory and cognitive function.

Plymouth joins international Cancer Prevention Network
Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has joined the international Cancer Prevention Network(CPN) Consortium, in recognition of the importance of the University’s cancer-related research programmes.

Nottingham-China research collaboration holds hope for bovine and human TB vaccine
Scientists at The University of Nottingham are studying whether harmful bacteria found in cattle could be harnessed to protect livestock from the devastating disease bovine tuberculosis (TB). The research, being led by Professor Paul Barrow in the University's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science , could offer an important step towards developing a vaccine against bovine TB, which affects tens of thousands of cattle every year.

’My dear old friend’: Darwin the man revealed as 40-year correspondence published online
The 40-year friendship of Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker, the most significant and scientifically important of Darwin's life, can now be explored by anyone in the world with access to the Internet. No single set of letters was more important to Darwin, or is more important now, than those exchanged with Hooker over 40 years.

Researchers link facial structure to kidney disease
Researchers at King's College London's Dental Institute have shown that people with a certain kind of kidney disease have characteristic facial features that may reflect the genetic mutation they carry. A team led by Professor Sharpe—an expert in craniofacial development and stem cell biology at the Institute—has published a paper detailing this phenomenon in the journal Human Molecular Genetics .

World Immunisation Week: Tackling infectious diseases in India and Africa
The World Health Organisation (WHO) will mark Immunisation Week this month to raise public awareness of how immunising against diseases such as measles, TB, and rotavirus, can save lives.

Salmonella colonises the gut
Researchers plan to use data collected to develop vaccines to control Salmonella in animals and humans Salmonella is a major cause of human diarrhoeal infections and is frequently acquired from chickens, pigs and cattle, or their products. Around 94 million such infections occur in people worldwide each year, with approximately 50,000 cases in the UK per annum.

Learning disabilities affect up to 10 per cent of children
Up to 10 per cent of the population are affected by specific learning disabilities (SLDs), such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, translating to 2 or 3 pupils in every classroom according to a new study.

UK-China collaboration to establish new computational resources for metabolomics
A partnership between the University of Birmingham, BGI, the world's largest genomics organisation, and its open-access journal, GigaScience , has received funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to develop a software platform for the analysis of large-scale environmental metabolomics data.

World-class Motor Neurone Disease researcher awarded senior investigator award
A world-class neurologist from the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) leading the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has been awarded senior investigator status from the National Institute for Health Research for outstanding work in her field.

Appointment boosts Plymouth neurobiology research
Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has appointed Dr. Shouqing Luo as Associate Professor in Neurobiology at its Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine. Dr. Luo joins from the Institute for Medical Research at the University of Cambridge. His previous posts have been at: Northwestern University Medical School, USA; and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA.

New project encourages community to go wild about their woodland
Communities in Plymouth will be able to play a major part in protecting their local woodlands thanks to a new project which aims to inspire and reconnect people with wildlife.

Modified bacteria could be used in vaccines
A modified strain of Salmonella could be used to efficiently deliver antigens, the key ingredients of vaccines, into human cells, a study suggests. Salmonella bacteria use nanoscopic needles to inject their own proteins into host cells, enabling them to survive and replicate inside those cells.

Biologist stands up for the Amazon
University of Sussex biologist stands up for the Amazon University of Sussex conservation biologist Dr Mika Peck will be standing up for the wildlife and people of the Amazon Basin when he heads an international team on a 1300km paddle down the mighty Amazon River in July.

Ground breaking research into debilitating degenerative disease given generous boost
Pioneering Parkinson's disease research at the world-leading Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) has been given a major boost thanks to a generous donation.

Nanoscopic cages for big applications
Scientists have developed a new type of nanoparticle with potential applications in chemistry, biology and medicine.

’Strikingly similar’ brains of man and fly may aid mental health research
A new study by scientists at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Arizona (UA) published in Science reveals the deep similarities in how the brain regulates behaviour in arthropods (such as flies and crabs) and vertebrates (such as fish, mice and humans). The findings shed new light on the evolution of the brain and behaviour and may aid understanding of disease mechanisms underlying mental health problems.

Metagenomics used to identify organisms in outbreaks of serious infectious disease
Researchers have been able to reconstruct the genome sequence of an outbreak strain of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), which caused over 50 deaths in Germany, using an approach known as metagenomics which bypasses the need for growing bacteria in the lab. An international team coordinated by Mark Pallen, Professor of Microbial Genomics at Warwick Medical School, was able to reconstruct the genome sequence through the direct sequencing of DNA extracted from microbiologically complex samples.

University Professors become Society of Biology Fellows
Two Professors of Cardiff University have been elected as Fellows of the Society of Biology. Professors Derek Jones and Tim Wess accepted this prestigious invitation for their prominent contribution to the advancement of the biological sciences.

The genetics of life and death in an evolutionary arms-race
10 Apr 2013 Scientists at The University of Manchester have found evidence of the genetic basis of the evolutionary arms-race between parasitoids and their aphid hosts. The researchers studied the reaction of aphids when a parasitic wasp with genetic variation laid eggs in them. They found that different genotypes of the wasp affected where the aphids went to die, including whether they left the plant host entirely.

Tumour-shrinking drug trialled for treatment of tuberous sclerosis
A new trial is underway at Cardiff University to see if a tumour-shrinking drug can improve the memory and thought processes of adults with tuberous sclerosis.

Environmental change triggers rapid evolution
A University of Leeds-led study, published in the journal Ecology Letters, overturns the common assumption that evolution only occurs gradually over hundreds or thousands of years. Instead, researchers found significant genetically transmitted changes in laboratory populations of soil mites in just 15 generations, leading to a doubling of the age at which the mites reached adulthood and large changes in population size.

Magic mushrooms trial for depression delayed by red tape
Professor David Nutt says drug laws hinder research on clinical applications The UK's first clinical trial using the hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms for treating depression is being delayed due to UK and EU rules on the use of illegal drugs in research.

International stem cell conference unites leading UK and Indian scientists
The University of Sheffield is this week hosting a three-day international conference which will bring together a number of the world's leading biologists working on the application of embryonic stem cell biology to regenerative medicine.

Scientists make progress in fight against virus killing captive elephants
Scientists may be a step closer towards the development of a vaccine against a virus that is killing scores of Asian elephants, many of them in captivity. The majestic Asian elephant is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is threatened by loss of habitat, poaching and illegal trade.

Further potential insight into the complex neuropathology of Down’s syndrome
Researchers at the University of Bristol have revealed new insight into the function of a key protein attributed to impaired learning and memory in Down's syndrome.  The findings, published online in Nature Cell Biology , offer further molecular insight into how the reduced level of this key protein termed 'sorting nexin-27' [SNX27] may contribute to learning and memory problems associated with Down's syndrome.

Flies with personality
Fruit flies may have more individuality and personality than we might imagine. And it might all be down to a bit of genetic shuffling in nerve cells that makes every fly brain unique, suggest Oxford University scientists. Their new study has found that small genetic elements called 'transposons' are active in neurons in the fly brain.

3D printer can build synthetic tissues
A custom-built programmable 3D printer can create materials with several of the properties of living tissues, Oxford University scientists have demonstrated. The new type of material consists of thousands of connected water droplets, encapsulated within lipid films, which can perform some of the functions of the cells inside our bodies.

New Director of Research post for Imperial Academic Health Science Centre
Professor Jonathan Weber appointed to new combined role across Trust and College Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London have appointed a Director of Research for its Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC).

Research receives funds to meet global challenges
Two innovative engineering projects receive grants from a major UK funder this month. The researchers received funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as part of Frontier Engineering scheme.

Inventor’s corner: Dr Themistoklis Prodromakis
Themistoklis Prodromakis is a research fellow at the Centre for Bio-inspired Technology and is developing brain-inspired electronics using memristors What are memristors?

New treatments could stop multiple sclerosis progression for the first time
Thanks to research on brains donated by MS patients, Imperial researchers have made major advances in efforts to understand and treat the disease. Around 100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis and, while several treatments exist to treat early attacks, there is currently nothing to stop the disease from progressing.

Ground-breaking frontier science explored at Imperial Fringe
The fifth Imperial Fringe takes place on Thursday 21 March, looking at the important work in synthetic biology happening at the College.

Visitors experience frontier science at latest Fringe event
Pedigree tomatoes, brewing yeast and waste-digesting bacteria were on the bill for a public event at Imperial College London last night.

Researchers at Barbican Wonder: Art & Science on the Brain
From 7 to 10 April, Imperial College London neuroscientists, psychiatrists and surgeons will be engaging the public at the Barbican.

Who or what is LUCA?
Is there an evolutionary starting point and a primordial organism from which all modern life descended? Over billions of years life has diversified and adapted to Earth's changing environment.

New system to improve DNA sequencing
A sensing system developed at Cambridge is being commercialised in the UK for use in rapid, low-cost DNA sequencing, which would make the prediction and diagnosis of disease more efficient, and individualised treatment more affordable.

Diabetes: double trouble – its effects on heart and brain
Scientists at the University of Sheffield are launching a pioneering investigation to discover how diabetes affects heart and brain function in order to help the soaring number of people living with the disease. The serious condition currently affects three million people in the UK - experts predict this number will double to six million over the next 25 years due to an alarming increase in the number of patients developing Type 2 diabetes.

£1M Marie Curie Fellowships boost Cardiff’s research profile
As part of an initiative to help broaden Europe's knowledge base, five Marie Curie Fellowships worth a combined total of £1M have been awarded to international researchers to undertake new research projects in Cardiff University.

Facing up to cancer
Gavin Garland's experiences of confronting cancer as a teenager influenced his choice of career as a molecular biologist working on the mechanisms of lymphoma.  Now he's running the Virgin London Mara

Easter Eggs Live
Researchers at the UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging (CABI) have embarked on a rather unique Easter egg hunt and have been scanning chicken eggs for a new Channel 4 programme called Easter Eggs Live.

Report calls for strengthening of academic psychiatry
Professors Shitij Kapur and Sir Simon Wessely , King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, are contributors to a major new report by the Academy of Medical Sciences - Strengthening academic psychiatry in the UK .

New exhibition aims to show how our BodyWorks
A new exhibition focusing on the wonders of the human body and showcasing the latest research in health and wellbeing opens at the Glasgow Science Centre this week.

New foot-and-mouth vaccine is safer and cheaper to produce
A new vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease that is safer to produce and easier to store has been developed by scientists from the University of Oxford and The Pirbright Institute. They have used a new method to produce a vaccine that doesn't rely on inactivating the live, infectious virus which causes the disease – and is therefore much safer to produce.

Males may be smart to risk 'cheating' females
Males who stick around to care for offspring that may not belong to them are not 'hapless dupes' but are playing the odds in a game of evolutionary poker, according to Oxford University research. Previous studies have assumed that 'cuckolded' males, whose mates have offspring fathered by another male, should adjust their behaviour to care less for babies they believe are not theirs.

Organisation trumps size in primate brain evolution
The evolution of anthropoid primates, including monkeys, apes and humans, over the past 40 million years was largely driven by brain reorganization, and not brain size, according to new research from UCL.  The study, which is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B , found that around three quarters of differences between the brains of species of monkeys and apes are due to internal reorganization that is independent of size, dispelling the idea that variation in size is the primary factor characterising anthropoid primate brain evolution.

UCL PhD researcher strikes gold in Parliament
Joanna Brunker, a PhD student in the UCL Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, struck Gold at a competition in the House of Commons, for the excellence of her Biology research, walking away with a £3,000 prize yesterday.

High-tech scan for 320 million-year-old fossil
A 320 million-year-old fossilised skull - found in Newsham, Blyth in Northumberland in the 18th century by a local grocer - has undergone state-of-the-art CT scanning by a University of Bristol researcher at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.

Arts and sciences combine for exploration of human cognition
Researchers from the arts and sciences are joining forces in a bid to explore one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time – the workings of the human brain.

Technology transfer team receives BBSRC praise for its £12m impact
The University of Nottingham's Technology Transfer Office (TTO) has been nationally recognised by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for its work in commercialising technologies arising from research into Clostridia.

Chief Medical Officer opens new research facility in Oxford
Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health, has opened a new research facility in Oxford which will speed the development of effective treatments for dementia, mental health and neurological conditions. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford cognitive health Clinical Research Facility (CRF) will enable clinical studies of the size and quality required to translate important scientific advances into benefits for patients.

Distinct biology of breast cancer in older women
Early operable breast cancer in older women has distinct biological differences to breast cancer in the under 70s.

UCL and Oxford unite to tackle challenge of sustainable medical innovation
UCL and the University of Oxford have come together to form CASMI - the Centre for the Advancement of Sustainable Medical Innovation.

Studying brain-cooling for birth asphyxia
In high income countries brain cooling is standard treatment for neonatal encephalopathy - unexpected, devastating brain injury due to low oxygen and blood in the baby's brain at birth.

Operation Gorilla
The life of a young male gorilla has been transformed after an operation carried out by a surgeon from The University of Nottingham's School of Veterinary Medicine and Science.

Sussex chemist takes her research to Parliament

Brain scientists put their heads together to create Sussex Neuroscience
Brain scientists put their heads together to create Sussex Neuroscience A major new initiative will establish the University of Sussex as a centre of excellence in neuroscience.

New exhibition highlights story of Scotland’s oldest museum
A new exhibition will celebrate the origins of Scotland's oldest museum through objects and specimens from its first visitor guide, published in 1813.

Mammals vs. dinosaurs
Were dinosaurs really the most exciting and interesting creatures ever to roam the planet? Zoologist Nick Crumpton tells the Cambridge Science Festival that it's high time other prehistoric animals stepped out from the shadows.

Researchers take you on a journey of discovery
Smashing strawberries to extract the DNA, mini creatures living all over our bodies, and medical implants used in hospital operations are just some of the things to be amazed by when the University

Scientists SET to present their work at Parliament
Biologists, engineers and physicists from the University of Glasgow will visit the UK Parliament in London on Monday 18 March to present their research to a range of politicians and a panel of expert judges as part of the SET for Britain event.

Ancient worm provides unexpected evolutionary link in our early history
Fossils of a creature that lived on the ocean floor 505 million years ago have been identified by scientists as those of a previously-unknown marine worm, now named as  Spartobranchus tenuis .

Foreign Bodies: where does the familiar end and the foreign begin?

The Great Brain Experiment: New app to crowdsource data on how we think and act
A new mobile app developed by UCL scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging will enable the team to carry out on an unprecedented scale experiments that previously could only be conducted on small groups of volunteers in the lab. The Great Brain Experiment will look at memory, impulsivity, what makes us happy, and how well the mind's eye can see, enabling the researchers to explore questions that are normally impossible to ask.

New study hopes to reduce bone fracture rates in laying hens
Skeletal health in laying hens is a major welfare and economic problem with up to 80 per cent of hens suffering bone breakages in some free range systems. A new three-year study hopes to reduce the fracture rates in laying hens thanks to a grant of £532,000 funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and supported by industrial partner, Noble Foods.

Museum marks Brain Awareness Week

Gero Miesenböck wins 2013 Brain Prize for optogenetics
Gero Miesenböck has been awarded The Brain Prize 2013 for his pioneering role in developing 'optogenetics', a revolutionary technique which uses light to control sets of nerve cells in order to reveal much about the brain.

Plants and patterning: how shapes are made
A Cambridge Science Festival lecture on Wednesday (13 March 2013) will look at how plants grow through repeating patterns and discuss what we can learn from them in developing smart materials.  

Scientist at UK's top dementia conference
A dementia scientist from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry will take to the stage today (11 March) to present his latest findings at the UK’s largest dementia research conference organised by Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Clothworkers’ gift will create the fabrics of the future
A £1.75m grant to the University of Leeds is helping to create new healthcare products which will benefit millions of people.

Biological tooth replacement - a step closer
New research published in the Journal of Dental Research describes an advance in efforts to develop a method to replace missing teeth with new bioengineered teeth generated from a person's own gum cells. Current implant-based methods of whole tooth replacement fail to reproduce a natural root structure and as a consequence of the friction from eating and other jaw movement, loss of jaw bone can occur around the implant.

From shape-shifting to therapy
The latest research into the intricate processes that let substances into and out of cells will help to lay the foundations for the next generation of therapies for major diseases. Multidrug transporters are responsible for producing chemotherapy resistance in cancers and pathogenic micro-organisms.

Darwin’s ’forgotten women’ celebrated on International Women's Day
Forgotten female correspondents of Charles Darwin; women who all made substantive contributions to nineteenth century society, are to be brought from the shadows to global attention in celebration of International Women's Day today (March 8).

Research team breakthrough in delivering drugs to the brain
Researchers at UCL have made a breakthrough in the way that drugs could be delivered to the brain.

UCL Spin-out Synthace awarded £500,000 Synthetic Biology Grant
Synthace, a UCL spin-out, has been awarded funding from the Technology Strategy Board for a collaborative project with UCL and the University of Manchester.

Emperor penguins ’cold coat’ helps keep them warm in Antarctic winters
Emperor penguins benefit from an unusual phenomenon to stay warm during Antarctic winters, scientists at the University of Glasgow have discovered.

Mapping oxygen consumption in the brain
A Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) project is one of 15 to share in a £12.2M EPSRC investment in creative engineering research projects to deliver major advances in healthcare The CUBRIC project was chosen for its potential to develop innovative technology to improve the diagnosis and treatment of serious illnesses including neurological diseases, improve patient outcomes, and help severely disabled people.

Rick Trainor to retire as King’s College London Principal in 2014
Sir Rick Trainor announced today his intention to retire from his role as Principal and President of King's College London in October 2014, after 10 years of leading the College.

New material could bring sharp clarity to ultrasound imagery
Scientists at King's College London have developed a new, key material that could lead to considerable improvements in ultrasound technology, enabling the production of high-quality, high-resolution images in biomedical applications.

Amputee pain linked to brain retaining picture of missing limb
Changes in the brain following amputation have been linked to pain arising from the missing limb, called ‘phantom pain', in an Oxford University brain imaging study.

New funding to unlock the mysteries of how babies’ brains develop
A new project to discover how brains develop during the last third of pregnancy has received €15 million from the European Research Council (ERC) as one of only 11 new prestigious Synergy grants throughout Europe.

Could a common blood pressure drug slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s?
A ground-breaking trial that hopes to discover if a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure could slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) will begin shortly. The multi-centre clinical trial, hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust and led by a group of academics from the University of Bristol, University of Cambridge and Queen's University Belfast , will find out if losartan, a well-tolerated drug for high blood pressure, can complement current treatments for AD.

India’s beautiful botanical past reviewed by Sussex historian

Flying moths inspire robotics
The hawk moth's wings are a blur of mottled grey motion as it hovers tethered to a steel rod in large white plastic orb. Outside the orb in the darkened room where I stand, a projector casts moving patterns of dimmed light onto the sphere's surface, illuminating the moth's field of vision with oscillating stripes.

New centre to revolutionise medical technology
The University of Leeds is leading a £5.7 million, government-backed initiative to transform the way replacement joints and other medical implants are made.

Changing tack
In the wake of the financial crash of 2008, many scientists have found themselves working in an environment of squeezed budgets in which they must increasingly make the case that their research adds value to the wider economy.

Cell scaffolding protein fascin-1 hijacked by cancer
A protein involved in the internal cell scaffold is associated with increased risk of metastasis and mortality in a range of common cancers finds a study by University of Bristol researchers published in Biomed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine .  The protein, fascin-1, is involved in bundling together the actin filaments which form the internal scaffolding of a cell and are involved in cell movement.

Evelina Newborn Imaging Centre launched
Newborn imaging facility will enable scientists to understand brain development and test new treatments for brain damage A new state-of-the-art MRI imaging facility is being officially opened to

Putting malaria on the SHELPH
Experts have disabled a unique member of the signalling proteins which are essential for the development of the malaria parasite. They have produced a mutant lacking the ancient bacterial Shewanella-like protein phosphatase known as SHLP1 (pronounced 'shelph'). This mutant is unable to complete its complex life cycle and is arrested in its development in the mosquito.

Scientists awarded £1M to advance cell imaging techniques
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have been awarded £1 million to advance imaging techniques in improving understanding of the processes that occur inside living cells.

Participants sought for neuropsychology research project
Healthy young people (aged 5-16 years) are wanted to take part in a UCL research project: Neuroimaging investigations of language to aid paediatric neurosurgical decision-making .

Researchers win three Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards
Academics at Imperial College London have won three prestigious Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards to support their research into health and disease.

Nottingham technology in heart development breakthrough
Technology developed at The University of Nottingham has been used in a breakthrough study aimed at developing the first comprehensive model of a fully functioning fetal heart. The abdominal fetal ECG device, designed originally by academics in the University's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and on commercial sale throughout the world since 2008 through the University spin-out company Monica Healthcare Ltd, has been used to observe living fetal hearts of babies in their mothers' wombs.

Human heart development slower than other mammals
The walls of the human heart are a disorganised jumble of tissue until relatively late in pregnancy despite having the shape of a fully functioning heart, according to a pioneering study. A University of Leeds-led team developing the first comprehensive model of human heart development using observations of living foetal hearts found surprising differences from existing animal models.

Improvement in child cancer survival rates threatened by lack of new drug development
Some of the biggest challenges to the improvement of cancer care for children and young people are set out in a series of studies published in today's Lancet Oncology.

Paving the way for pioneering new cancer treatments
Scientists at the University of Sheffield are fighting an incurable type of cancer with a pioneering new approach which could not only halt devastating bone damage, but also repair it. A ground breaking research programme developing new drugs to tackle myeloma is now underway thanks to a £1.1 million grant from the charity Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

New sensor for diagnosis of infectious diseases in development
A University of Glasgow professor has received funding to develop a new type of sensor to diagnose infectious diseases.

Professor Kneebone on his Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellowship
The start of this month marked the official start of Roger Kneebone's Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellowship , alongside a Wellcome Trust Society Award.

New grant to power translation of heart research
New knowledge about the genetic causes of heart diseases will be translated into improvements in diagnosis and treatment with a £1.8 million grant to Imperial from the Health Innovation Challenge Fund. Roughly one in 100 of us are affected in some way by inherited cardiac conditions (ICCs). Innate propensities for heart malfunction can lie embedded within a person's genetic code from birth, inherited from their parents.

School pupils delve into DNA

New therapy uses electricity to cancel out Parkinson tremors
A new therapy could help suppress tremors in people with Parkinson's disease, an Oxford University study suggests. The technique – called transcranial alternating current stimulation or TACS – cancels out the brain signal causing the tremors by applying a small, safe electric current across electrodes on the outside of a patient's head.

Researchers in Manchester find genetic key to preventing spine tumours
Meningiomas are the commonest form of tumour affecting the brain and spine. Usually meningiomas can be removed by surgery and do not recur. Occasionally people can develop more than one meningioma or many members of the same family can be affected. A team led by Miriam Smith, Professor Gareth Evans and Bill Newman worked with families with a history of meningiomas affecting the spinal cord.

Animal model of evolution indicates thick hair mutation emerged 30,000 years ago
The first animal model of recent human evolution reveals that a single mutation produced several traits common in East Asian peoples, from thicker hair to denser sweat glands, an international team of researchers report. The team, led by researchers from Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, Fudan University and University College London, also modeled the spread of the gene mutation across Asia and North America, concluding that it most likely arose about 30,000 years ago in what is today central China.

Volunteers needed to chart fifty years of ch-ch-changes in pop music
Music lovers are invited to take part in an online experiment to explore the ways that popular music has evolved between 1960 and the present day.

World first for fly research
Until now a comprehensive teaching programme to guide students through the often daunting first few steps has been surprisingly absent." —John Roote The first ever basic training package to teach students and scientists how to best use the fruit fly, Drosophila, for research has been published.

New exhibition explores ’a healthcare revolution’
A new exhibition launched today explores the development of monoclonal antibodies and how they began to be applied to improving our understanding of disease and advancing treatment options.

Scientists call for greater legislation on plastic waste
Items of plastics waste should be classed as hazardous because of the detrimental effect they can have on people and wildlife, scientists have warned.

World first for fly research
The unique scheme has been put together by Andreas Prokop from the Faculty of Life Sciences alongside John Roote from the Department of Genetics at Cambridge University.

Major national health award for brain tumour awareness campaign
A campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours in children under 18 years has won a major national NHS Innovation award for its work in improving early cancer diagnosis.

Huge funding boost to help transform cancer therapies
The collective sum of £2.45million has been awarded to Cardiff University's European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute (ECSCRI) to further its world class research in investigating cancer causes and developing new therapies to halt its spread. Director of ECSCRI, Professor Alan Clarke and Senior Lecturer Matthew Smalley were awarded the funding by Cancer Research UK to drive forward their respective research areas in cancer stem cells.

Cambridge’s first hands-on science centre opens

First-in-human trial of a new drug for arthritis
Long lasting, cost-effective therapy uses the patient's own immune system to fight rheumatoid arthritis.

Natural killer cells played a vital role in human evolution
Humans were subject to particular selection pressures that prompted the immune system to find a compromise between immune defence and reproduction." Scientists suggest that genetic adaptations to the human immune system contributed to the success of early humans in migrating out of Africa around 800,000 years ago.  An opinion article, published last month , argues that a genetic signature of these adaptations is evident in modern human populations in the form of a wide diversity of receptors in the natural killer (NK) cells which are a vital component of the immune system.

Grant Museum of Zoology opens The Micrarium - a place for tiny things

Models move from brain to rain
One of climate scientists' key ambitions is to predict future climate change more accurately. They create incredibly detailed computer models, but even these cannot calculate all the infinite detail of the real climate. The inevitable approximations they have to make mean that when it comes to rainfall - one of the most important, yet tricky, aspects of climate - different models seem to say very different things.

Scientists unravel the wonders of DNA and more at Brighton Science Festival
University of Sussex researchers are out in force for Brighton Science Festival this month, sharing their passion for the mysteries of the cosmos, the wonder of DNA and almost everything in between.

Nottingham and Birmingham projects to strengthen UK-Brazil research links
PA 33/13 The Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham have strengthened their collaborations with Brazilian institutions after securing funding for a number of country-specific research projects. Academics from both universities have won funding from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) to undertake research into priority areas spanning the sciences, social sciences and humanities.

Finding malaria’s weak spot
The focus of many vaccine efforts is the molecules on the surfaces of both parasite and red cell that are instrumental in recognition and penetration." —Dr Teresa Tiffert After over a decade of research into malaria, biologists Teresa Tiffert and Virgilio Lew at the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience found their efforts to observe a key stage of the infection cycle severely hindered by the limits of available technology.

Trial of Type 1 diabetes ’vaccine’
Preventing Type 1 diabetes could one day become a reality if clinical trials of a new “vaccine” prove successful.

Cormorants cannot capture the benefits of global warming
Even though cormorants seem ideally placed to benefit from global warming, by expanding their breeding range into the far north, the darkness of the polar night is likely to keep them firmly in their place, according to research published this week by scientists at the University of Birmingham in the Journal of Zoology.

Sleeping sickness by stealth
This may finally be one route to penetrating the stealth cloak of Trypanosoma brucei." —Professor Mark Field Stealth is a well-known concept in military tactics. Almost since the invention of radar, the hunt began for counter-technologies to hide aircraft and missiles from detection - most successfully by modifying the composition and shape of surfaces to confound detection.

Cambridge uncovers the mysteries of science – with a little help from Sherlock Holmes

Queen awards Regius Professorship
The Queen awards Regius Professorship of Psychiatry to King's King's is to be bestowed the prestigious Regius Professorship of Psychiatry by Her Majesty the Queen to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

Birmingham and Nottingham projects to strengthen UK-Brazil research links
The Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham have strengthened their collaborations with Brazilian institutions after securing funding for a number of country-specific research projects.

Low rainfall and extreme temperatures doubles risk of baby elephant deaths
Extremes of temperature and rainfall are affecting the survival of elephants working in timber camps in Myanmar and can double the risk of death in calves aged up to five, new research from the University of Sheffield has found. With climate change models predicting higher temperatures and months without rainfall; this could decrease the populations of already endangered Asian elephants.

Birds may need a hand to weather climate change
Birds in Asia may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change, according to scientists. A new study led by Durham University and BirdLife International, shows that many bird species are likely to suffer under future climate change, and will require enhanced protection of important sites, better management of the wider countryside, and in some of the most extreme cases may need to be physically moved to climatically suitable areas to help them survive.

ERC Advanced Grants fund exceptional research at UCL
Funding totalling £12.9 million has been awarded to researchers at UCL by the European Research Council (ERC) under the Advanced Grants programme, which supports research leaders to develop ground-breaking projects and support pioneering research with far-reaching impact.

Appointments Reinforce Parkinson’s Disease Research
Two new appointments at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry will enhance research programmes related to Parkinson’s disease at the University. Oleg Anichtchik and Kim Tieu will join a research team active in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Vultures foraging far and wide face a poisonous future
African vultures face an increasing risk of fatal poisoning, according to Durham University research.

Honours for Sir Paul Nurse and Sir Nicholas Hytner

‘switch’ that turns on aggressive infection in superbug
Many people with cystic fibrosis will develop Pseudomonas aeruginosa during their lives and it can cause chronic infection, which reduces lung function and therefore life expectancy." —Dr Janet Allen, Director of Research at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust University of Cambridge researchers have discovered how an antibiotic-resistant superbug exploits oxygen-limited conditions in the lungs of patients with severe respiratory disease to thrive.

€15m to understand how the brain develops
We're sorry, but the page or content that you requested could not be served. This may be because it does not exist on this website, or because of a technical error.

Suspended bird flu research resumes
There have been over 500 human cases of H5N1 influenza since 2003, but so far the deadly virus has not proven infectious in humans. Researchers in the Netherlands and the US have created highly transmissible strains in the lab in an attempt to understand what mutations might enable it to pass between humans, but worries over the safety of these studies led to all such research being put on hold in January 2012.

Manchester leads the way in 1bn euro research projects
Winners of the ten-year Future Emerging Technology research programs were announced at a press conference in Brussels this morning.

Human Brain Project wins major EU funding
The Human Brain Project has been officially selected as one of the European Commission's two FET Flagship projects.

Human Brain Project Funded
King's College London is part of a European consortium of scientists who have today been awarded a grant of over one billion euros, over ten years, to simulate 'everything we know about the human brain' in supercomputers.

Researchers join forces against infectious disease
" Combating infectious diseases remains as important as ever. A combination of basic and applied research has led to some extraordinary success stories, such as the eradication of smallpox.

Golden moment as Paralympian David Stone awarded honorary doctorate at Sussex graduation

Doctors aim to help stroke patients overcome disability by helping rewire their brains
Researchers at the University of Glasgow are hoping to help victims of stroke to overcome physical disabilities by helping their brains to ‘rewire' themselves.

Bats split on family living
For the tiny Daubenton's bat, the attractions of family life seem to vary more with altitude than with the allure of the opposite sex.

Nottingham expertise in major European drug discovery partnership
PA 22/13 Scientists from Nottingham are part of a major European-wide project aimed at developing the next generation of medicines that are more effective and longer lasting.

Grants awarded to two researchers for work reducing our reliance on fossil fuels
Two Imperial researchers have been awarded grants by national research councils to help advance sustainability and combat reliance on fossil resources.

University helps reveal the Wonders of Life
Professor of Zoology, Professor Matthew Cobb, was one of two named consultants on the ambitious series.